Burying the Truth
by Spazoid
Summary: Not all secrets like to remain hidden. [Hyuuga Centric]
1. First Sight

**Title:** Burying the Truth

**Author: **Spazoid

**Summary:** Not all secrets like to remain hidden.

**Notes: **This is set around when Hinata is eighteen, thus making Neji nineteen. The suffix 'nii-san' means brother, while the suffix 'sama' translates roughly into Lord, I believe; it's an honorary term.

**Chapter One**

First Sight

When Hyuuga Hinata finally came to terms with her status as heir to the clan, she had known there was much she had to do. She had a lot to prove, a lot to change, and the trust of a hundred to gain; she would have to protect those hundreds too and lead them with fairness and pose. Those steps were only a few of many. There was one aspect that Hinata hadn't thought about: the paperwork.

There was a lot of paperwork.

This wasn't to say that Hinata was the clan head yet- but she was taking on more duties and Hiashi seemed to think that paperwork was a good place to start (Kiba said it was because he didn't want to do it himself.) The young heir hadn't argued, merely accepted and by the time she had finished with the days work, it was late with only the glow of lanterns providing her light.

Rubbing tired white eyes, Hinata finally set down her pen and stood, wincing at her stiff form. Making sure all the papers were neatly put in order, she then softly blew out the lanterns and exited the room and into the darkened corridor. Shutting the door quietly behind her and rubbing her eyes once more, the Hyuuga heir turned to head towards her room; sleep was in order.

A soft sound, like the patter of children's foot-steps sounded behind her, and Hinata turned on reflex. White eyes blinked slowly as nothing met her gaze and a hand pressed to her temple; she must have been hearing things. But before she had even taken another step, that sound of footsteps came again and Hinata found herself turning around once more, frowning this time. As with before, nothing met her gaze.

Thinking a child has escaped the confines of their room and was trying to hide (all the Hyuuga children had been put to bed long ago), Hinata quietly activate the Byakugan, looking for the child. But no chakra met her gaze.

She was alone.

For a few minutes, Hinata stood there dumbly, looking around uselessly. Eventually, she closed her eyes and deactivated the Byakugan, sighing; maybe she was more exhausted then she had thought previously and was just hearing things. The mind had a way of playing tricks on a person after all; she may have been misinterpreting a sound. Smiling faintly at her foolishness, she allowed her eyes to open again, the Byakugan gone and her gaze back to that soft pale color. Reassuring herself she was just being silly, she glanced back to where she had first heard the sound. But instead of seeing nothing as she had presumed she would, this time she did see something.

But that something wasn't anything she had _ever_ seen before.

They were almost like shadows… but just barely. They seemed to move of their own volition, dependent from any actual shadow. And they almost looked to be in the shape of children, their feet making that pattering sound; Hinata could have sworn that she heard giggling as well.

And above all, they were looking at her.

Hinata felt her breath hitch in her throat and she suddenly felt cold despite the late spring warmth. Rather abruptly, she spun around, moving in the opposite direction of the shadows, and consequently the opposite direction of her room. Instead, she decided that Neji's room was the best place now because, really, she had to be seeing things. There was nothing to be afraid of and the one person who could dispel such notions was Neji.

Swiftly, Hinata moved down the hallways, refusing to even dare a look behind her. By the time she reached Neji's room, she felt slightly breathless. Her hand rose to politely knock, but the door was opening before her strike could fall. Trying to compose herself, she looked up to her cousin, her mouth open to explain. But the words died in her throat and the only words that came out were a whispered, "Neji-nii-san?"

Something was wrong here too.

Neji was staring at her, his eyes cold and distant, a look she hadn't seen since they were children; it was frightening. His hitae-ate lay discarded and crumpled on the floor, his curse seal bared for all to see; that alone sent warning bells off in her mind. Neji never bared his curse seal, ever. And now Hinata was trapped between Neji looming over her and the pattering shadow children behind her; their giggling had turned to soft hushing. And she didn't know why.

"Heir of the Main House…"

The too soft voice and too formal words made the young woman's gaze snap back to Neji. He never addressed her so formally, not even since he had accepted being her protector. 'Hinata-sama' was as formal as he got and that sick feeling in the pit of her stomach grew. Hinata knew that she should be thinking logically, that maybe Neji was ill or someone had told him to address her so formally. But her gut told her it was something else, no matter how much mind protested. "…Neji? Are you alright?"

"….no." The statement was soft, but cold and filled with an emotion that Hinata couldn't understand. She swallowed thickly, unsure now; with others she could have played this off as a bad joke, but Neji didn't joke, especially not like this. When Neji spoke again, the Hyuuga heir could not quite quell her fear.

"Physically, he shall be fine. But that is not the matter at hand. Attend to me, Heir of the Main House…" Neji seemed to waver suddenly, and Hinata took a step back, preferring to take her chances with the shadows then her oddly acting cousin. The shadows seemed to melt back with her movements, still hushing each other softly. Neji- because it had to be him, there was no way- fixated his gaze back on her, cold and furious. One hand reached out towards her but seemed to stop and Hinata was fervently glad that it had.

Finally, she found her voice again, asking a little stupidly, "…what?"

Neji's face seemed to change at her word, looking conflicted; it almost appeared as if he was restraining himself. "You… your house… you must understand what your house has, down the secret needs-"

Very suddenly, Neji stopped talking and dropped his hand, eyes rolling back. He staggered and then slumped against the doorframe with a quiet groan. Hinata stood just outside his door for a minute, too shocked to move, before her head whipped around at what sounded like the whisper of robes. But there was nothing there, not even the shadows that had lurked behind her; they had all disappeared, like some bad nightmare. There were more important things to worry about as Neji started to pitch forward and despite her fear at his strange actions, she darted forward to catch him, sinking to the floor with him. "Neji…"

"Hi… Hinata-sama?" His voice and gaze were confused, the normally collected shinobi dazed and shaking in her arms. Hinata lifted her hand, pressing it to his forehead to check for a fever. His skin was cool to her touch though and she shifted her gaze to his form as he grabbed her wrist, looking up to her. "What's… going on, Hinata-sama? What's wrong?"

For a second, all Hinata could do was stare at her cousin, disbelieving; he didn't know what had just happened? He didn't appear sick either, what could have…Quite suddenly, Hinata found herself babbling to the confused Neji. "I was working… and then shadows… and then you… but it wasn't you, your hitae-ate, and I mean….", she trailed off, and then asked bluntly, "Did you take any medication?"

Neji stared at her as if _she_ was the one who had taken drugs, but his hand suddenly released her wrist to press to his forehead and he pulled away from Hinata hurriedly and grasped his hitae-ate and put it back on. "No… no, I didn't take anything. Are you alright Hinata-sama?"

His white eyes were looking at her, and Hinata suddenly didn't know what to say; how was she supposed to explain what she had just seen? Shadow children and thoughts of ghosts- her cousin was already looking at her with an odd expression, despite the fact that he didn't seem to recall ending up on the floor. He was probably brushing it off as mission stress and maybe she should too; there had to be a logical explanation.

There had to be…

Hinata stood suddenly, fingers twisting as Neji watched her with an odd expression, one eyebrow arched. Softly, she mumbled, "I'm… I'm sorry to bother you. I'll… I'll be in my room if… you need anything."

She hesitated just for a minute before turning and swiftly heading towards her own room, only shivering once and praying, in a small part of her mind, that there would be no more shadows tonight.


	2. Second Sight

**Title:** Burying the Truth

**Author: **Spazoid

**Summary:** Not all secrets like to remain hidden.

**Notes: **This is set around when Hinata is eighteen, thus making Neji nineteen. The suffix 'nii-san' means brother, while the suffix 'sama' translates roughly into Lord, I believe; it's an honorary term.

Thanks is given to Julia, for allowing me to run with this idea, and Squeak for beta-ing.

**Chapter Two**

Second Sight

After the strange conversation with Hinata the night before, Neji had found himself unable to sleep. It wasn't that he was frightened; it was just that he kept repeating the conversation over and over, trying to find a logical explanation for Hinata's strange behavior. But after hours of thinking in the darkness, no solution was readily present except that, perhaps, she was stressed from all the new work she was taking on. Allowing himself to accept that for the sake of his sanity, he eventually fell asleep.

The next night however, the effects of his lack of sleep were showing. It was not uncommon for him to walk the grounds of the Hyuuga compound, half patrolling, half keeping watch and tonight was no different then so many times before. The pathways of the compound were dim, only lit by the lanterns strewn every few feet or so. Shadows stretched along the ground, elongated and contorted, casting some corners into complete black. To many, the shapes might have been frightening, causing unease and unrest and thoughts of monsters and demons.

Neji was far too practical and logical for that.

Walking down a dark hallway in a silent part of the Main House, he slowed in his steps as he thought he heard footsteps and frowned, looking around. When nothing met his gaze, he wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him, his lack of sleep causing his problems. A hand fell to his kunai pouch anyway, not willing to risk being unprepared

After another moment, he slowly continued on his path only to be stopped, frozen in place as he heard footsteps again, along with giggling, childish laughter. White eyes narrowed and when there was a flicker of movement in the shadows to his right, he activated the Byakugan. Standing still, hand still on his kunai pouch, he looked around, searching for a wayward child, or perhaps another Hyuuga member that thought this a funny prank (why hadn't he thought of that as an explanation last night?).

Nothing however, met his gaze.

"I do not find this amusing," he said crossly, quietly, as he deactivated the Byakugan. Fingers tightly curled around the kunai at his side as he looked around slowly; there was a logical reason for this, there had to be. A genjutsu, perhaps, but to fool him it had to be… very strong. Something flickered at the edge of his vision again and he turned his head sharply to where the shadows lay nestled, thinking again that his mind had to be playing tricks with him. But the shadows of the corner flickered and moved as if cast by the flame of a candle and seemed to coalesce into shapes, _people_ almost and again came that soft, childish laughter.

Neji stared for a few moments before he whirled and darted towards Hinata's room. She was the one who had been babbling about such things, there had to be a reason. And even if there wasn't, it was his job to protect her, not cower in fear of dancing shadows. Footsteps near silent on the wood of the hallways of the compound, Neji didn't bother to knock or even announce himself as he threw open the door to her room. "Hinata-sama!"

The young woman gave a soft yelp at the sudden intrusion, nearly knocking over a bottle of ink on her desk, where she sat working. She regarded Neji wide eyed and he felt a near irrational relief at seeing her alright and apparently not harmed; why did these shadows bother him so? It was only a few seconds later that he realized his sudden entrance might have frightened her- he could see now that one of her hands had darted to her own kunai pouch. He swallowed and straightened, quietly apologizing for disturbing her- they had only been shadows.

"Neji, what's wrong?" Hinata asked quietly as she slowly sat back down on her chair. He ran a hand over his face and opened his mouth to say that it was nothing and apologize again when a soft sound echoed in the corridor outside, a gentle giggle.

He hadn't been aware that she could pale so fast.

"That," he said softly. "Did you hear it?"

Throat working, Hinata eventually answered, nodding her head. "That's… that's what I heard last night. I thought… I thought perhaps that I was overtired and hearing things, overreacting…"

She was frightened and part of Neji couldn't blame her. This was very strange and a tad unnerving; out in the hallway a shadow darted in front of the door and then seemed to pause, looking straight at Hinata. Cursing himself mentally for not doing so in the first place, he strode over to the open door and shut it quickly, ignoring how there seemed to be far more shadows outside then allotted by the amount of light shining through. He turned back to her and noted how even that action brought her no peace and he felt uneasiness sweep through him. Had more happened to her the night before that she had not said? Her words had been hurried and confused…

"It's probably only a full reaching genjutsu," Neji said reassuringly, though he wasn't sure how that was supposed to be reassuring since he couldn't even see through it. He met her gaze, speaking in a far calmer tone then he felt. "I won't let anything harm you, I promise Hinata-sama."

The tense lines of her shoulders relaxed a bit and she smiled to him, though it was forced. "I don't… I don't know if it's a genjutsu. I couldn't… I couldn't see through it the day before and I… I don't know."

Neji frowned at her, wanting to tell her to stop acting so childish, but he doubted that would help and it wasn't very fair since he was hearing the same as her. He glanced back at the door as footsteps pattered outside, the sound just making him irrationally angry and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. This was absolutely foolish, illogical and so many other things. Here he was, frightened of shadows and sounds, actually allowing himself to think that, perhaps that ghosts were real and they were right outside the door to his cousins room.

Shaking his head, he moved to the door, intending on locking the latch. He snatched his hand back though as the door nearly burned; it was so cold to the touch. And he took a startled step back despite himself as a shadow seemed to melt _through_ the door and look (could shadows even look?) up at him. There was another giggle and a squeak from Hinata behind him before the shadow slipped back to the other side and he found himself twitching just faintly; this was madness.

Activating the Byakugan yet again, he took a step back, closer to Hinata. "Do… do you know what they _want_?"

… he had just referred to shadows as they; he truly must have been losing his mind.

With the three hundred and sixty degrees his vision gave him, he could see Hinata shake her head slowly, her fingers twisted together. A frustrated noise left his lips and he looked out again, trying to see what could be causing these shadows because there had to be a reason beyond ghosts, because ghosts didn't exist and-

"Maybe… we could try and talk with them…?"

For a few seconds, Neji had thought he'd been imagining what he heard. But when he looked back to Hinata, disengaging the Byakugan, he realized she had really said it; she had really just suggest they talk to the dancing flickering laughing shadow people that were cavorting outside her door like they were actually real. It was insane, illogical, and bordering on downright stupid.

Neji, however, didn't have any better ideas.

"Fine," he said, unable to keep the tension from his voice. "Talk to them."

Again, it amazed him how fast she could pale. For a moment or two Hinata merely stared at him and then squared her shoulders and took a step towards the door. She didn't open it, however, which relieved Neji; he didn't want those… those things getting in, ignoring the fact that they could clearly walk through walls. Curling a hand around a kunai, Neji listened as she asked, in a quiet, only faintly wavering voice, "What…. What do you want?"

Silence fell after the question and he strained his hearing, part of him really expecting to hear a response. But, almost surprisingly perhaps, the running of feet had stopped and the laughter as well. Now the… beings were making soft shushing noises, as if trying to quiet each other so someone else could talk. After a moment there was nothing and Neji pressed his lips tight together, annoyed. Shaking his head, he shifted towards Hinata, a hand reaching out to pull her back when he suddenly felt as if he couldn't breathe, couldn't _move_.

He tried to get out Hinata's name, to call for help, to warn her, but it died in a gurgle and he was so _cold_, so very cold. He tried to move, to clutch his chest, to get to her and he couldn't; he couldn't do anything. Everything was cold and dark and it was like he was far away, watching from his gaze, but not hearing a sound. He could vaguely see Hinata, frightened and pale, her lips moving but not a word reaching him. The cold pressed in on him, suffocating him, trapping him somehow and he fought against it, whatever it was. He didn't know what was going on but he knew that he didn't like it and Hinata was terrified and it was his job to protect her so he pushed and pushed and fought even though the cold stole away his breath and seemed to burn and hurt him even though there was nothing there.

It was suddenly like being snapped back into realty, back into himself, and Neji choked as he tried to suck in air, falling to his hands and knees, coughing. His form shook and shivered and he couldn't recall how he had gotten so close to Hinata, or across the room even. The entirety of his body still felt absolutely freezing, so much that when Hinata's small hands touched him they burned and he flinched. But the warmth was welcome and despite how pathetic it was, he let her hold him, let her stroke his hair.

"Hi… Hinata-sama…" he choked out, eyes opening to slits to look up to her. He couldn't tell if she was hurt or not though she only looked frightened. "Are…okay? C… cold, so… so cold…"

The young heir murmured quiet words, that she was okay, and he was okay, and she had him. Unable to think through things very well, he believed her and let himself slump against her as he closed his eyes again, trying to chase away the chill that had invaded his body. That had been one the most intrusive things ever done to him, and it was unlike any jutsu he had ever encountered. But what frightened him more was it most likely had not been a jutsu used; it has been something else, something otherworldly and unknown. It was that fact, that Neji didn't know what 'it' was, that he hated the most.

And he had no idea how to find the answer.


	3. Reflective

**Title:** Burying the Truth

**Author:** Spazoid

**Summary: **Not all secrets like to remain hidden.

**Notes:** This is set around when Hinata is eighteen, thus making Neji nineteen. The suffix 'nii-san' means brother, while the suffix 'sama' translates roughly into Lord, I believe; it's an honorary term.

Thanks are given to Julia, for allowing me to run with this idea, and Squeak for beta-ing.

**Chapter Three**

Reflective

For days, Hinata had been looking for answers. She had invaded the records room of the compound and barely left. Hiashi had expressed his concern, but had otherwise left her alone; it had not developed into an obsession… Not yet, at least. So he let her be and Hinata continued to pour over document after document, searching for an answer to a question she had yet to figure out.

"You've requested a mission for me."

The sudden sound of Neji's voice, loud in the silence, made Hinata jump. A mirror on the wall gave her access to see who was behind her but she whipped around anyway, eyes a little wide. Slowly she managed to stop her heart from pounding in her chest and set down the scroll she had been reading. After a moment, she turned to face Neji fully, white eyes searching his face. Very softly she answered his question.

"Yes. I did."

His look was troubled as he came towards her, settling into a kneeling position close to her. "I cannot protect you if I'm not here Hinata-sama."

"But I don't think you can protect me while you're here either." Hinata answered quietly, unable to hide the slight tremor in her voice.

The older Hyuuga's look became even more troubled as he tried to puzzle through her words. After a moment, something seemed to occur to him and he shifted, tightening his hands into fists. "Something… happened, when I was with you, didn't it?"

"Both times," Hinata responded quietly, nervously twisting the scroll in her hands. "The first… I had gone to see you, after hearing noises. Your… your hitae-ate and bandages were on the floor and you spoke… you spoke so _coldly_ and I asked you if you were alright and you said no. And you said something like… physically 'he' was fine, then demanded that I attend to you and reached towards me, saying I needed to know the secret, what my house had done and then… you just collapsed."

Neji staring at her, his look indicating that he was rather unnerved by this all; Hinata continued quickly, deciding a shortened version of the events would be best for his well being. "The second time was while you were with me, after we both saw those little shadows. You… he… was closer and so very cold- physically I mean, not like your voice like last time. It was like before, demanding that I should know, accusing me, removing your hitae-ate… but it was like a battle, to talk. It was difficult."

"I was fighting," Neji added in quietly. "It was cold and intrusive and I didn't like it. I fought."

Hinata smiled vaguely- she wasn't surprised. "Well, it worked. I told him to find another way if he wanted to speak to me and then… you went back to being you." There was a pause as she twisted the scroll around in her hands again. "… but he claimed the Main House had killed him… and gave me his name. Hiashin."

It was very obvious that Neji didn't like the situation one bit. Ever straightforward, he said bluntly, "So you've been looking for him amongst all the records."

"Looking is the keyword," she sighed, waving the scroll tiredly. "We have decades of records, births, deaths, incidents, lineage, and what appears to be missing records. I'm going year by year but…"

"But it's taking time." Neji finished for her quietly, lips turned into a frown as he watched her; she nodded tiredly in response. Though neither said it out loud, they both knew that they didn't have the time to figure this out. And it wasn't as if they could ask the rest of the family for help- they'd be labeled as lunatics, at the very least. But both of them knew that whatever this thing (… or things) was, it was dangerous, fixating on Hinata and possessing Neji to get to her. They only had assumptions, not answers; it was maddening.

… and a bit frightening.

Neji rose smoothly, his face still troubled. "I apologize, Hinata-sama, but I must pack- I leave in a few hours time."

The mission she had requested for him, of course. Pale eyes watched him as he headed to the door, her voice carrying despite how soft she spoke. "… be safe, Neji-niisan."

His steps slowed, and he looked back to her from the doorway. "… and you as well, Hinata-sama."

Hours had passed since Neji's departure and Hinata had remained holed up in the records room. She had found nothing definite, only hunches and notes, but she wrote them all down dutifully and then continues looking. There was dismay at realizing that a large number of the deceased, shinobi aside, were children infants who had not been able to survive birth. Pregnancy was harsh on the Hyuuga, but it was still saddening to realize.

"Heir of the Main House."

Hinata's head jerked up at the sudden voice, the second to invade her silence that day. This time her eyes swung to the mirror in front of her and there appeared to be a Branch Member behind her, seal almost… softly glowing. She whipped around in her chair to face the man, not having heard him enter the room.

But there wasn't a soul behind her.

Feeling her chest tighten with fear, she swung her eyes back to the mirror. Now she could see that he wore a particular style that hadn't been used in years, and just out of focus, little shadows behind him crowded around.

Swallowing thickly, and forcing her voice even, she spoke. "Haishin."

Haishin raised his head slightly in the mirror, perhaps in response to his name perhaps; his white eyes were completely fixated on Hinata. When he spoke, the tone had a sneer to it. "I have followed your _orders_ Heir of the Main House and found a new way to speak to you. Not that I had much choice, as you seemed to have sent my vessel away."

Anger coiled in Hinata suddenly, burning cold like it did with her father. "He is not your _vessel_. He is my cousin, my friend, and no one's pawn, free to do as he wants."

"Free!" Haishin laughed harshly. "Friend! Such lies you speak, Heir of the Main House. He is neither your fiend or free. Just a pawn for _you_ to use and discard as you wish when you want. You can snuff out the life of any man, woman, or child who bears the curse, anytime you want for no reason other than, perhaps, you simply felt like stealing someone's life and showing your power."

"Never!" Hinata snapped harshly, standing up immediately; it had yet to occur to her that she was arguing with a figure in a mirror. "Neji is my ally and my friend and I shall never take him, or anyone else in this family for granted. I will never bring harm to those I swear to protect! I would rather die than purposely harm them."

Even though he was only a figment in a mirror, his look turned positively murderous. When he spoke, he made no move to hide the hate and contempt in his voice. "I was told that once, was treated as an equal, treated as a friend and a companion, But he turned on me and killed me and you will do the same! The Main House is full of cruelty and spite and they shall continue to treat the Branch House as their slaves. And they shall teach it to their children, and their children will teach it to their own, and it shall never end."

"I will not let that happen." Hinata stated firmly and with conviction. "I will not allow such subjugation to continue. I am already doing what I can, to the best of my abilities, to cease such actions. You act as if you know me but you do not and never shall."

The murderous look darkened; the shadows behind him were agitated. "You will die before you see anything. The clan will fall back into its ways as soon as you are dead."

"I do not fear dying before my work is done." Hinata answered sharply, but calmly. "And it will not fall back into old ways. I will teach my children and my clan, and they will teach their children and that cycle shall destroy the one of misery."

"Enough!" Haishin snarled, his form almost seeming to thrash and distort. "Lies Main House Heir, lies! You are pathetic and weak and cruel." His form suddenly went very still and his voice very soft. "Perhaps if you feel the pain, you shall know the terror and the futility and anytime you even think of causing us that pain, it will ache and you shall remember."

In the mirror, Hinata saw him reach out towards her and on instinct she turned to block the blow. But one can't stop what you can't see or touch and though her back was turned, she knew exactly when he had touched her. The cold started in her forehead and moved to consume her body; she couldn't get her body to react, to move and it was _so cold_…

And that was when the pain began.

It exploded in her head and Hinata screamed before she even realized what was happening. Her hands came up, clawing at her forehead in an attempt to make it stop. But she couldn't make it stop and her body crumpled, sending her to the floor where she curled into a fetal position. Her fingers continued to claw at her forehead, but Haishin would not let it stop. Her screaming- was she still screaming, how embarrassing- seemed to have attracted attention, footsteps pounding in the hallway. The door was shoved open, people sliding inside with weapons at the ready.

"Hinata-sama!"

There were hands on her wrists, yanking her hands away so she would cease scratching her forehead. Her voice gave out at some point but she still writhed, the pain still there. Someone grabbed her close but she couldn't see who; all she could see was Haishin in the mirror, smirking gleefully.

"Hinata!" Hiashi's voice.

The pain was too much. Hinata finally passed out, Hiashi still calling her name.


End file.
